The independent review of fracking by senior academics at the University of Texas in Austin said that the development of shale gas was "essential to the energy security of the US and the world", but that the process had become mired in controversy after claims that fracking causes damage to health and the environment. [my emphasis]Contrary to this statement, I believe that development of shale gas is essential for the prolongation of capitalism and it growth imperative. Because of this, I fear that there can be no "independent" evaluation of fracking to produce shale gas as long as societies are governed by capitalist elites.
See also this article entitled, "Fracturing natural gas wells requires hundreds of tons of chemical liquids".
A federal health expert on Jan. 9 at a conference in Alexandria, Va., called for a moratorium on fracking because medical experts don’t know enough about the potential risks from fracking liquids, said Dr. Vikas Kapil of the National Center for Environmental Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.